CLAIM

Viral video of young immigrant men vandalising public property in Germany on New Year’s Eve

RATING JUSTIFICATIONS

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search and a keyword search to trace the original source.

Multiple right-wing accounts on social media platform X were sharing a clip since January 2, 2026, claiming that it showed young immigrant men vandalising public property on New Year’s Eve in Germany. However, the clip is from Islamabad.

HOW IT STARTED

On Jan 2, an X user, who appears to be right-wing based on his past posts, posted a video which showed young men vandalising public property with the following caption: “A gang of immigrants destroys public property on Germany’s New Year.”

The post gained 9,200 views.

Another right-wing account also shared the same video on Jan 3 with the following caption: “Your universe has no meaning to them. They will not try to understand. They will be tired, they will be cold, they will make a fire with your beautiful oak door.”

The post gained over 414,800 views.

Indian digital media outlet NewsX World also shared the same video on Facebook with a European context. The post was captioned, “Scenes of damaged lampposts and railings shared online have fuelled debate about public behaviour and civic responsibility across European cities. Officials stress that isolated acts should not define communities, urging accountability, repairs, and calm dialogue as investigations continue into incidents of property damage.”

The post gained 198,000 views.

The same video with a similar claim was shared by other accounts on Instagram and X, as can be seen here and here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to keen public interest in ongoing debates on immigration in European countries.

A reverse image search yielded an X post shared by domestic digital media platform Pakistan Economic Network, dated Jan 1, 2026, wherein the same video was shared with the caption: “Chaos Erupts at Park View City Islamabad During New Year Event”.

As per the clip, the incident took place at Park View City’s New Year’s Eve event in Islamabad on December 31, 2025, where chaos stemmed from overcrowding, leading to vandalism, including smashed benches and uprooted poles.

A keyword search was subsequently conducted to corroborate the alleged incident and yielded a news article by digital media outlet ProPakistani, published on Jan 1, 2026, with the following title: “Reckless men destroy Islamabad’s popular tourist spot on New Year’s night”.

According to the article, New Year celebrations at Islamabad’s Park View City descended into chaos late on December 31 after fireworks and a concert ended, with groups vandalising the lake area and surrounding facilities. Videos show streetlights and benches uprooted and thrown into the lake, banners torn down, barricades breached, small fires lit, and vehicles driving over green belts, causing further damage.

The same incident was also covered by 24 News.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video shows young immigrant men vandalising public property on New Year’s Eve in Germany is false.

The video is from Islamabad, showing New Year celebrations turning into chaos as people vandalised one of the capital’s leisure spots in Park View City.

EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES

Jan 1, 2026, X post:
https://x.com/NetPakistan/status/2006692185715179958

Jan 1, 2026, ProPakistani news article:
https://propakistani.pk/2026/01/01/reckless-men-destroy-islamabads-popular-tourist-spot-on-new-years-night/?fbclid=IwY2xjawPJjWlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZWmdTb2JzbTNlajdLZmhGc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHhkn0QYyZ2N4Yi56lzP-EysP1Rr-1_2OyjnOcsQbDWcsBpHKF1dKSF93nzXd_aem_JbdynfJzYH9fEDVmPUJPpw

Jan 2, 2026, 24 News article:
https://24newshd.tv/02-Jan-2026/islamabad-s-housing-society-vandalized-reckless-crowd-new-year-s-concert